True
by Lana Atkins
Summary: When it seems like Ranma's relationship with Akane is at its end, what will Ranma do to pick up the pieces?


**True **

**A Songfic by Lana Atkins**

Akane was cooking dinner again.

Ranma could feel it in his bones. She hadn't mentioned the subject, but there were…signs. He knew she bought a new cookbook; she had dissapeared into the bookshop today and came out with a bag containing a book that she refused to let him see. She had gone grocery shopping with Kasumi, something she didn't normally do.

_Probably wanted to pick up some ingredients for the poison she plans to feed us all_, Ranma thought viciously.

He didn't mean to be so harsh; he knew his fiancèe always tried her best when it came to cooking for the family, but when it all boiled down to it…well, 'poison' wasn't really the worst her cooking could be described to.

He sighed. Guess that meant dinner at Ucchan's, and fast. His stomach was already churning with anxiety at the mere thought of Akane finding and force-feeding him her glop.

Conveniently, Ranma was already running there. He had managed to slip silently past Akane, who he suspected was already at work in the kitchen. The rest of the family had taken off on a short ''vacation'' hours earlier. A wise move, but cowardly none the less.

Not that what he was doing was any better.

He could see Ucchan's in the distance. A flood of relief hit him. He was _safe._

Ranma opened the sliding doors of Ucchan's, ducked beneath the welcome curtains and yelled, "Yo Ucchan! I'm really hungry! Akane's cooking dinner tonight so I thought I'd make a quick stop here and get something to eat before my execution."

He heard a gasp, then running footsteps in the kitchen of the restaurant. Ukyo burst through the kitchen door. Her eyes were bright with happiness and anticipation as she ran towards the okonomiyaki grill.

"Ranchan! I was just thinking about you! What a lovely surprise! Is there anything you'd like?"

Ranma scratched his head, a little taken back by the welcome, but quickly recovered and said, "Just three seafood okonomiyaki, Ucchan. I'd better be really full today, or else all I'll have to eat is Akane's cooking. And I ain't taking chances."

Ukyo nodded in sympathy. She brought her utensils out and winked at him. "Three okonomiyaki coming up."

He smiled. "Thanks Ucchan."

She cooked with skill, and there was a sense of grace in the way she moved, flipping the pancakes with ease.

_If only Akane could cook like that…_ he thought to himself.

As soon as she was done, Ukyo watched Ranma wolf down the pancakes with remarkable speed and sighed contentedly, leaning on the counter. Just being near him made her light-headed. Her eyes travelled over his handsome features, and, although smeared with sauce, it made her heart thump faster and faster with each passing second.

If only…

If only he did love her.. She was the only one who truly cared for him, didn't he see? Maybe someday, he would realize—that she loved him much more than Akane ever could.

Akane. She was so beautiful; with her big, brown eyes and wonderful smile. She could have any boy she wanted. Why did it have to be Ranma?

And she knew.. she **knew** how Ranma felt about her, though he would never say it. She saw the way he looked at her when he thought no-one else was watching. The way his gaze carressed her—it broke her heart over and over again. And she still she kept denying it.

That was about to change.

Ukyo opened her mouth after hesitating for a second.

"Ranchan,"

The pig-tailed boy looked up through a mouthful of okonomiyaki. "Wffat?"

Her gaze lingered on the ground. "I…I just want to know…what you think of Akane."

Ranma looked confused for a second, then gulped the rest of his food down and his look became one of scorn. He smirked, thinking of his fiancèe.

"What, Akane? Well, let me tell you. She's built like a gorilla, she's as clumsy as an ox, she **definitely** can't cook as well as you can, Ucchan, much less cook at all. She's violent, abusive, her temper flares up so easily I think I have to carry an extinguisher when we go around, and most of all, she's really, **really** uncute!"

Ukyo was comforted by this, and at the same time, ashamed for feeling that way. But deep down, she knew he didn't mean any of the hurtful remarks he made. She winced, feeling sorry for Akane. If she heard these insults, she would definitely be hurt, not to mention incredibly **mad**..

* * *

Akane walked briskly along the streets of Nerima Town, clutching a brown package containing palm oil. She smiled and felt an inexplainable air of pride, as if she was going to do something important. She grinned even wider. She **was** doing something important. She was going to cook dinner for the family!

Speaking of the family, she hadn't seen most of them at all today..

She shrugged openly at the thought. _They'll be back by dinner._

The she stopped abruptly, smacking her head with one hand. Hadn't the recipy called for **vegetable oil**, and not palm oil?

"Darn. It **was** vegetable oil. Oh well. Guess I'll have to stick with palm oil. It can't be that bad, right?"

She continued walking.

Soon, she had reached Ucchan's. She let out a breath, knowing that in no time she'd be back home. Then she heard a voice.

_Ranma!_ she thought.

She hurried nearing the sound of his voice, and the words began to make sense. She stopped right outside the door.

"What, Akane? Well, let me tell you,'' he was saying. '' She's built like a gorilla, she's as clumsy as an ox, she **definitely** can't cook as well as you can, Ucchan, much less cook at all. She's violent, abusive, her temper flares up so easily I think I have to carry an extinguisher when we go around, and most of all, she's really, **really** uncute!"

The world stopped as she froze and she heard his cutting words. Tears rolled down her cheeks, unheeded, as she slumped against the door of the restaurant.

She had heard these insults before, many times. It shouldn't hurt, right? She should be used to it by now. Then why were there so many tears…

Damn, she was crying.

Akane knew that even if she had the insults thrown at her a million times, they would still hurt. Because they came from him.

She stepped into the doorway.

* * *

Ranma regretted what he said the moment the words left his lips. What on earth made him make those cruel comments? Akane was none of those things. Well, a little violent and abusive, yes, and her cooking.. well that was beside the point. Why did he just start up like that? Granted, he was annoyed that Akane had picked such a day to give them all food poisoning, but she was only trying to help… she was always trying to help..

He heard the door slide and at first, didn't pay much attention. Probably another customer. Then he heard the surpressed sobs. Oh no.

He turned around slowly. _No, no, no, no please let it not be.._

Akane stood in the doorway, the tears flowing freely from her big, brown eyes. With one sweeping motion, she wiped the moiseture with the back of her hand.

He knew he looked incredibly guilty now. Not to mention petrified.

What was she doing here? He had just left her at home…

"A-Akane,"

Ranma glanced quickly at Ucchan, and she looked as horrified and shocked as he did. She gulped.

"Akane-chan,"

Akane ignored Ukyo, staring angrily at Ranma. The mallet of doom started to form in her hands.

He was soooo dead.

Then suddenly, the fire died out of her eyes. The mallet slowly flickered in her hand, then dissapeared. She looked down at the ground.

Ranma stared at the girl. She didn't actually take what he said seriously, right? He said those things to her all the time, but she did know he was kidding, right? She couldn't have actually believed them..

Then Akane looked up and fixed Ranma with a broken smile.

"Ranma, I've been thinking… I think it's time that we stopped fooling ourselves, or rather, fooling myself, that we could ever have a future together. I mean, all we ever do is fight. We don't even like each other. I'm the most uncute girl in Japan, remember? It would have never worked out between us anyway. You've said so yourself many times. So that's why I'm making it easy for you. I'm cancelling the engagement."

She turned and dashed out of the restaurant.

Ranma couldn't get any words out of his mouth. Then again, even if he could get his fat trap to work, he wouldn't know what to say. He was fixed to the chair, staring at the place where Akane ran out of Ucchan's. His mind was a blur. She couldn't have just said what he thought she said, right? She couldn't possibly…not after all they'd been through…but the words kept playing themselves over and over again..

_I'm cancelling the engagement._

_I'm cancelling the engagement._

_I'm cancelling the engagement._

He ran out after her.

Ukyo stared sadly after him. She should be happy, right? Ranma was now a free man. But oddly enough, she felt miserable. She, in turn, stared at the door her fiancé and the girl he loved had ran out of only moments ago.

_Oh Ranchan.. I hope you reach her in time._

* * *

Akane ran. She was afraid that she might smack into something; her eyes were so full of tears that her vision was blurred. She hoped she didn't run into anyone she knew while she was in this state.

Thankfully, she made it home quickly. She dashed up the stairs into her room. Slamming the door, she let out a huge sob. She slumped against the door, slipping slowly onto the floor. Grabbing a pillow, she began to cry freely, letting out her rage and sadness.

So now she knew what he thought of her. Akane felt relieved to a certain degree that she had let him off the hook; knowing that it would have been torture to him if they had ever married.

She didn't know how many times she had dreamt of their wedding. A real wedding, not the disaster that had been spoiled by two jealous fiancées, a lunatic, a whole lot of cursed people, and an enormous barrel of Nannichuan. A wedding where they had stared into each other's eyes, taken their vows, and..

Well, the dreams always ended before the kiss.

Now it would never happen. She had cancelled the engagement. She had already lost him. He must already be thinking of his next bride-to-be. She wondered if it was Ukyo. With that long, shiny brown hair and clever eyes, the girl was a catch. Or maybe Shampoo. She had always admired the fierce fighting skills of the Amazon, not to mention the fact that she was a looker. Heck, even Kodachi was not one to be taken lightly, for for all her psychotics, she had a gorgeous gymnast's figure and great culinary talents to boot. Compared to them..

_How could he ever love me?_ she thought.

Soon, she heard a furious thumping on her door. "Akane,"

She didn't answer him, but listened to an almost desperate voice. "Akane, please, please, let me in."

She still refused to answer, grabbing her big yellow pillow and shoving her face into it.

Another thumping, louder this time. "Akane, I'm sorry. Please, let me come in."

Finally, Akane yelled angrily through the door, her voice muffled. "You're ALWAYS sorry! But you know what? You never are! You can't ever stop calling me these dreadful names— even when I try to get closer to you— Ranma, you've done enough .. please leave.." She stopped, feeling more tears slide down an alabaster cheek.

"Akane.."

She shouted again. "NO! I'VE HAD ENOUGH! WE ARE NO MORE ENGAGED! SO LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!!"

"DAMN IT AKANE! HOW CAN I PROVE TO YOU THAT I'M SORRY? HUH? HOW?!" Ranma yelled.

The door opened and the tear-streaked face of Akane stared at him through eyes of fire and at the same time, intense pain.

"BY LEAVING ME ALOOONNEEEE!!!!!"

She slammed the door in his face. He didn't knock again.

Akane, now sobbing uncontrollably, threw herself on the bed and cried herself to sleep.

* * *

Ranma slumped defeatedly back to his room, cursing himself again and again for making Akane cry. He felt as if something was torn from him with such a force that he was left feeling hollow and empty inside. He lay down on his futon and it took all his strength and willpower not to start crying himself. All the same, he couldn't help thinking how how funny it was that an incident like this could finally tell him what he'd been afraid to believe for so long. That he was scared of losing her.

That's why he fought for her, wasn't it? That's why he had risked his life so many times to save hers. And why? Because he cared for her. Liked her. He might even…. love her.

_It's true isn't it? You love her._ A tiny voice in his brain whispered. _And like the bloody idiot you are, you let the one thing you were afraid would happen, happen._

All this time he'd been denying it. Not once had he taken his feelings for her seriously. He hadn't even realised he was falling for the cutest tomboy in Japan.

_Wow. Where did that thought come from?_ Ranma couldn't help a smile. Yup. He was definitely in love.

_How can I prove to Akane that I am so, hopelessly in love with her?_

He spied his guitar in the corner of his room, a present from the Tendo family for his seventeenth birthday, along with two months worth of lessons. Ranma grinned through his sadness. He was a fast learner. He had picked it up in the first month and was pretty good now. He had even written a song..

The song!

Getting up, he promptly searched through a notepad in his bag for a page. He pulled out a sheet of paper and some handwritten chords.

Then he picked up his guitar and started to strum.

* * *

She hadn't realized it, but Akane had been sleeping for two whole hours. Her dreams were short and vivid; she couldn't even remember them, but each one somehow left her feeling more alone than she had ever felt in her life.

_Akane._

Ranma. She even heard him in her **_dreams_**. But why was his voice so real?

"Akane! Come to the window!"

She cocked an eye open and listened intently just to make sure that she hadn't been dreaming.

"Akane!"

She wasn't dreaming.

"Go away." She said wearily, not caring whether he heard her or not.

He sounded urgent. "Come to the window, now! I wanna tell you something."

Akane hesitated but finally decided to face him. She couldn't avoid him forever anyway; they lived in the same house for Pete's sake.

She walked to the window and peered at Ranma, who stared at her sadly. He was gripping his guitar tightly.

"Akane," he said. "Akane, you know I'm not good with words—and sometimes I make a complete idiot of myself and end up putting a foot in my big mouth,'' he paused. ''But please listen. I never meant to hurt you or make you cry. And since I can't prove that with words,'' he smiled at her half-heartedly. ''I'll prove it with this."

He began strumming a beautiful note on his guitar. He looked at her as if to say, 'for you.' And began singing.

---

**I won't talk**

**I won't breathe**

**I won't move 'till you finally see**

**That you belong with me**

**You might think I don't look**

**But deep inside**

**The corner of my mind**

**I'm attached to you**

**I'm weak**

**Its true**

'**Cuz I'm afraid to know the answer**

**Do you want me too?**

'**Cuz my heart keeps falling faster**

**I've waited all my life**

**To cross this line**

**To the only thing that's true**

**So I will not hide**

**It's time to try**

**Anything to be with you**

**All my life I've waited**

**This is true**

**---**

**You don't know what you do**

**Every time you walk into the room**

**I'm afraid to move**

**I'm weak**

**It's true**

**I'm just scared to know the ending**

**Do you see me too?**

**Do you even know you met me?**

**I've waited all my life to cross this line**

**To the only thing that's true**

**So I will not hide**

**Its time to try anything to be with you**

**All my life I've waited**

**This is true**

**---**

**I know when I go I'll be on my way to you**

**The way that's true**

**I've waited all my life to cross this line**

**To the only thing that's true**

**So I will not hide**

**It's time to try anything to be with you**

**All my life I've waited**

**This is true.**

**---**

Ranma looked up into her eyes, and right into the depths of her soul.

"I wrote this song for you. And I meant every word."

"I love you, Akane."

Akane didn't think she had any more tears after all the crying she had done that afternoon. She found out how wrong she was as her tears fell from the eyes and splashed onto the pavement below.

He loved her?

Without even giving it a thought, she abandoned her window and ran down the stairs at top speed. Flinging open the front door, she ran around the house and saw him standing there, right under her window. His eyes were wide once they set on her and he held out his arms.

She flung herself into them and immediately caught his lips in a kiss. Her hands touched his cheeks as he dropped his guitar and held her back. They pulled closer into each other and she stroked his dark hair.

Finally breaking apart, he rasped in a hoarse voice, "I really do love you."

Akane smiled through her tears and kissed him again. "I love you too."

Ranma hugged her. "You know I'll always stay true to you, don't you?"

Akane sighed contentedly, enjoying the feel of his strong arms. "Always true."

**A/N:**

I have to say, this is my favourite out of all my fanfics. It's corny and unbelievable, I know, I've heard that enough times, and the ending is a bit cheesy/soap-ish, but I really, really don't care. I still like it, and cry everytime I read it. It's sad, I know, but it's true. I love Ryan Cabrera, so I wrote a songfic about one of his songs. Hope you liked it. ;)

Lana Atkins

Review please. (:


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